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storymakerswritingclub

Creative writing club for children aged 7+. Weekly writing groups in Sevenoaks, plus holiday workshops. Run by children's author, Nikki Young.

Friyay! Hooray. What a fun day at the end of which

Friyay! Hooray. What a fun day at the end of which, you’re freeeeee; free for a while two days; a well- needed break at the end of a long week.
Friday - stay up late day - no homework day - chill out, throw your uniform in the wash. Relax. Did I say, relax already? You’re work is done. No more until Monday. Let’s not mention Monday. That’s a whole weekend away. For now, just enjoy Friday!

“The rain sounds like centipedes crawling across

“The rain sounds like centipedes crawling across my window.” Another beautifully imagined simile from a child I’m working with. Perfect for today.

“The sun is like a lion’s golden mane”. Wor

“The sun is like a lion’s golden mane”.

Working on similes and metaphors with one of my 1:1 students the other day and he came up with this beautiful and imaginative gem. Isn’t it fabulous?

New on the blog! Ideas for helping you plan and wr

New on the blog! Ideas for helping you plan and write a story. There’s even a template to get you started.

That’s a wrap for week two. Today, we’ve conti

That’s a wrap for week two. Today, we’ve continued story planning and begun to create a detective character for a mystery story. We’ve looked in detail at newspaper reports and we’ve turned the tale of George and the Dragon on its head, with a laidback, bohemian, non violent dragon versus a glory-seeking St George! All in all, a great day’s work.

Another one for you. Yum, yum #commafail

Another one for you. Yum, yum #commafail

Look what happens when you miss out the comma!!

Look what happens when you miss out the comma!!

It was great to see everyone at the Storymakers gr

It was great to see everyone at the Storymakers groups on Saturday. The ideas were flowing! The Story Writers looked at plotting and planning, the Writer Buds at catchy headlines and subheadings and the Young Writers did some beach themed poetry. #storymakers #creativewriting #writingclub

How’s it going? #backtoschool

How’s it going? #backtoschool

Lovely feedback coming in from the summer school.

Lovely feedback coming in from the summer school. Many of those attending have signed up to do my weekly groups, which start on the 12th. The Writer Buds group is now full, but there are still spaces in the Story Writers and Young Writers groups. It’s all on Zoom too. See website to book. Link in bio.

Being a culture vulture with my eldest. She’s pa

Being a culture vulture with my eldest. She’s particularly interested in all things Japanese at the moment.#motherofanartstudent #vandamuseumlondon

I’ve spent the last five weeks, Monday to Friday

I’ve spent the last five weeks, Monday to Friday, doing one hour of writing every morning with a group of children. During that time, together, we have curated thousands of words, come up with hundreds of ideas and stretched our imaginations to the full. It’s been amazing and I had moans of complaint when the very last session came to a close. I do hope it’s served it’s purpose to inspire and empower. Words are so important aren’t they?

When you get thank you flowers from a student. Are

When you get thank you flowers from a student. Aren’t these gorgeous? Really brightened up my day.

Writing tip: Don’t be afraid to try. It doesn’

Writing tip:
Don’t be afraid to try. It doesn’t matter if you get it wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s messy to start with or full of grammar and punctuation mistakes. To find your writing style you must explore ideas and try new things. #writingtip

Writing tip: Daily routine. Set aside a time each

Writing tip: Daily routine.
Set aside a time each day for your writing practice. It doesn’t have to be long, but consistency and routine are key. It’s as much about showing up every day to write as it is about the words themselves. #writingtips #writingroutine

Writing tip 5: Be a reader. Not only does this hel

Writing tip 5:
Be a reader.
Not only does this help generate ideas, it exposes you to different writing styles and increases your vocabulary. Do you find you always write the same thing and in the same kind of way? Experimenting with different writing styles isn’t copying, it’s exploring. And this is how you learn. Have fun! #writingtips #writingstyle

Writing tip 4: Fuel up. Not so good for the waste

Writing tip 4:
Fuel up. Not so good for the waste line but essential for the brain! Snacks, coffee, coffee and cake, I could keep going with combinations. At the Young Writers, my youth creative writing group, our weekly fuel was tortilla crisps and hot chocolate! Unusual combination, I know, but through crunches and sips, we always seemed to have more focus. #writingtips

Writing tip number 3: Make a playlist. This is als

Writing tip number 3:
Make a playlist.
This is also my number one tip for focus actually. I’m talking songs that are essentially background, not ones you want to dance around the kitchen to. Listening to them through headphones means the music instantly blocks out any other distractions and after a while, becomes your signal that it’s time to start writing. But like a Pavlovian response! #writingtips #getwriting

Writing tip number 2: Get yourself some decent pen

Writing tip number 2:
Get yourself some decent pens. Why? Well, with the right pen, don’t the words just flow better? I had one that leaked all over my fingers and the page and it was such a pain. Equally, I’m not a fan of fine line tips as the way they scratch across the surface of the page makes me cringe.

My favourite is frxion retractable roller ball because not only does it write smoothly, it has an eraser on the end (very handy). Plus, I can buy refills for it.
What’s your favourite pen to use?

So you wanna be a writer? I’m going to share a f

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Nikki Young

Orphan, Monster, Spy, by Matt Killeen – Book Review
Back to school, back to ‘normal’
Teacher predicted grades for A-Levels and GCSEs. That’s fair, right?

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